Bad Bad Ritual | CEGAN

I found depravity, convinced me I may no longer care

Although the sound of gunshots was not an uncommon sound around The Sanctuary, it didn't usually come from the back of a fuckin' supply truck while his people were unloading all the sweet stuff they had collected. And Negan certainly hadn't expected the shooter of said machine gun to be the scrawny little one-eyed kid from Alexandria.

Carl. Man, the kid was a fucking spit fire. He had a light behind his eyes, well eye, that intrigued him down to his core. He hadn't experienced that sensation in a hell of a long time, if ever, and he was curious to dissect what exactly that feeling was.

//"Of course...really kid?" Negan looked at the scrawny teen brandishing a gun at David with a mocking smile.

"You should go before you find out how dangerous we all are." How dangerous I am was implied with the death glare he gave the older man. He stood his ground, completely fearless.

"Well, pardon me young man, excuse the shit out of my goddamn French, but did you just threaten me?" The look Carl gave him was drenched in 'go fuck yourself' and he was surprised when that cold flint-blue eye sent a slight shiver down his spine, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was both highly interesting and frustrating, made him want to slap the dangerous confidence right out of the boy.

"Listen," Negan continued after a moment. "I like you, so I don't want to go hard proving a point here, you don't want that, I said half your shit and half is what I say it is." Damn, the kid was meeting him toe to toe, not giving him an inch. If you aren't afraid of me, what are you afraid of then? "I'm serious, do you want me to prove how serious? Again?"

Some of the fight left the sharp blue eye that was boring daggers into Negan's own sockets as Carl sighed, defeated. He didn't back away from the older man though, just reached around him as he handed his father his gun. He wasn't worried about Negan hurting him then, he probably thought he was going to hurt someone else he cared about right in front of him. And wasn't that just a little dangerous trusting the wolf in front of you to not go for your throat once your back is turned?//

Did he want to mentor Carl maybe? Become his friend and make him stronger? Or did he want to break the kid? Take him apart bit by bit until there was nothing left but the red raw inside of a nerve? Whatever it was, Negan couldn't tear his eyes away from the lanky cowboy kid riding into town on the back of Negan's shining, sheet metal steed.

"Damn!" he drawled, smile playing at his lips. "You are adorable."

Things moved quickly after that. Carl tried his best, kid fought valiantly considering his circumstances, but in the end was easily overpowered, lying flat on his back in the dirt. Negan offered him his hand, trying hard to ignore that tiny peek of a pale hipbone he got where Carl's shirt had ridden up. The look the kid gave him. GodDAMN! If he had been a weaker man, he would've fallen to his knees before the teen, begging for a taste of that youthful, hormone addled wrath.

He was a fierce, half feral creature and it excited Negan to no end.

///

"Its like talking to a birthday present." Negan brought up mid-conversation, finding the bandage covering the boy's eye too distracting. It was like talking to the perfect present, the one you know has all sorts of goodies waiting inside for you to play with, the bandage was merely the bow and ribbons. "Take that crap off!"

"No!" Incredulousness dripped from that one word and that hard, steely gaze was back on Negan, giving him a shiver he bit back.

"Two men! Two men."

Carl flinched when he raised his voice.

"Do you really want to piss me off?" Negan narrowed his gaze, letting the boy feel the weight of a pin drop.